By Richard Lee - 14/01/2009

Window Watching

In the last week or so, I've read quite a bit of comment about the transfer window and the effect it can have on your club while football is open for business, so to speak.

I'm not sure I totally agree with the theory that it destabilises clubs. I think results themselves, across the country, prove that most players simply get on with their day job. But I would say that, towards the end of the window - certainly in the last few days, it can become a daily talking point and therefore a little bit of a distraction.

We're still in the early stages of this particular window and we know from experience that relatively little happens until nearer the end of the month. That's the time you see some panic buys, particularly from Premier League sides because they haven't got the loan facility available to Football League clubs.

It seems strange to me that, with four clear months to prepare for the window, clubs should be forced into doing business at the eleventh hour. But I suppose their targeted players might well be another club's targeted players and they end up having to get down to third or fourth choice. Even at that stage, a good recruitment set-up should have planned for that situation, surely?

The talk is about pressure but, to be honest, that mostly lies with the clubs not with the players. In fact, players can find themselves in what some would call the dream scenario of having two or three offers on the table, as well as a current contract to honour should none of the moves seem right at the time.

You have, of course, got the other side of that. Take Man City, for example. There must be a few players in their squad who are thinking they'll be told come the end of the month that, due to new signings, they're not going to be required too much more. Uncertainty isn't a great feeling in football, especially when you only have particular time-frames to work within to do something about your future.

There's a lot driven by personality. I'm sure that Martin O'Neill wouldn't have tried as hard as he did to keep Gareth Barry if he thought the player would be a disruptive influence. That's all about knowing the characters you're managing. Some players wouldn't have put that speculation behind them but Barry has, and he's gone on to be one of the leading lights in a really successful side.

Continuing the Villa theme but bringing it back to Watford, I remember January 2007 and Ashley Young going to Aston Villa. He's so laid-back that I don't think any amount of speculation would have affected him. I recall we had one of our usual team meetings where Aidy asked Ash in front of the other players why he turned down West Ham. Ash was very open about it, he just said the move didn't feel right for him, West Ham wasn't his first choice and he didn't think the club could take him where he wanted to go.

In hindsight, I don't think any player recently could have been proved more correct in a decision. As you all know, he went off to Aston Villa and I can't imagine for one second he's regretted the choice he made! I don't know whether he'd have had quite the same impact if he'd found himself at West Ham this year.

In Watford's case, that was an extreme and unusual scenario. In the Championship as we are now, there really isn't the same focus on your squad and who might leave as there is in the Premier League.

We're not stupid, though, we know which players at our club have been attracting interest from elsewhere and have been linked with moves. But it's changed nothing here, we're simply getting on with our work and keeping the focus you've got to have in our situation.

Just finally, one transfer that has already taken place is Leigh Bromby's move back to his old club Sheffield United. He's a great lad and we all wish him the best for his future - apart from this Saturday, of course.